Which is the BEST Apple Pie recipes from each county in the UK?

[edparry]

Hi all,

I am doing research on the following topic:

Which is the best Apple pie recipes from each county the UK?

I would welcome all your thoughts on this.

All the best

Edward Parry

 

[Ishbel]

Aren't they all fairly similar? Either a top and bottom crust, or a top crust only with apples in the middle, often flavoured with cinnamon! I'm from Midlothian. I don't think we have a specific apple pie recipe, for instance, I just use the one my Mum used to make.

 

[mudbug]

Wait a minute - I thought apple pie was 'sposed to be Amerikansky.

I will be interested to see how this thread unfolds with the contributions from Old Blighty.

 

[Ishbel]

NOOO, Mudbug. Apple pie (with a shortcrust pastry) is traditionally British, I think the settlers took over the pond! And that's not counting the German versions, the French versions, the Italian versions.... you get my drift!

The only 'odd' version I've come across is in Yorkshire where it is often made with a crust, but with white, wensleydale cheese laid on top of the apples before the lid is put on.. It is also traditional in some counties to serve it with a slice of cheese on top of the cooked pie.

 

[tomchef]

yea my mom makes the best apple pie,and so does my friends mam,and so does... well everyones mam.except of course for my grilfriends mam,which is mingin,but she wouldnt agree to that! just chew and smile tom,chew and smile....

 

[karadekoolaid]

Wait a minute - I thought apple pie was 'sposed to be Amerikansky. I will be interested to see how this thread unfolds with the contributions from Old Blighty.

Sorry , mudbug. " As American as Apple Pie" is the same as saying - " As Greek as Spaghetti Bolognese"...
Apples are European. Apples comes from Northern Europe.

But then that happens everywhere. Pizza Napolitana depends on a simple tomato sauce. Tomatoes come from South America.

Bangers & Mash has to have potatoes.
Potatoes come from South America.

Pork Vindaloo is from Goa, in India - possibly the hottest curry you'll ever eat.
Hello? The pork was imported by the Portuguese, and the hot chillies came from .. you guessed... South America.

Just so you don't think I'm biased:
The Venezuelan national fruit is the mango. A native of India!

 

[Chef_Jen]

As American as apple pie" is a common saying in the United States. However, the expression (its full form being "As American as motherhood and apple pieis clearly metaphorical, rather than literally ascribing an American origin to either apple pie or motherhood, since both motherhood and apple pie predate the United States. To some, the saying expresses the feeling that the concept "America" is not just geographical, but is instead—along with motherhood and apple pie—something wholesome.The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for mom and apple pie" - supposedly the stock answer of soldiers in WWII, whenever journalists asked why they were going to war.

ANYWAY in the uk

sugar isnt always in apple pies. asit was expensive in england so most recipes dont have sugar in them.

Also they use saffron to colour the filling.. Different areas use Raisins or figs and even pears in the their pie Also cloves..

 

[cara]

walnuts in apple pies.... *yumm*
along with cinnamon...
and all this on a yeast dough with "streusel"....

 

[Snoop Puss]

Well there you go. I always thought apple pie was Dutch. Whatever the origin, it's always delumptious.

 

[lulu]

I had a super apple pie flavoured with mead in Somerset once. It was a buttery shortcrust pastry. Personally I favour a puff pastry though. I also used to make a apple and blackberry pie which was sweetend with honey. I was trying to keep it as something authenically english produced (ie no sugar). But my mothers favourite is with quince. The fragrance is unbelievable. Apart from the mead these would al be pretty general Northern european sourced things.

Apple variety would play a big part in the regionality of the pie, is my guess.

 

[YT2095]

we tend to have more Apple Crumble here than pies as such.
plenty brown sugar and cinnamon for both the apple and the crumble part.

although I have been known to cheat and crush up wholemeal digestive biscuits for the crumble mix <hangs head in shame>

 

[Snoop Puss]

Even the mead is typical of northern Europe. Lindisfarne is famous for it!

 

[karadekoolaid]

As American as apple pie" is a common saying in the United States. However, the expression (its full form being "As American as motherhood and apple pieis clearly metaphorical, rather than literally ascribing an American origin to either apple pie or motherhood, since both motherhood and apple pie predate the United States. To some, the saying expresses the feeling that the concept "America" is not just geographical, but is instead—along with motherhood and apple pie—something wholesome.The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for mom and apple pie" - supposedly the stock answer of soldiers in WWII, whenever journalists asked why they were going to war.

ANYWAY in the uk

sugar isnt always in apple pies. asit was expensive in england so most recipes dont have sugar in them.

Also they use saffron to colour the filling.. Different areas use Raisins or figs and even pears in the their pie Also cloves..

Jen - that may be a "modern" thing ( I speak for 25 years ago, when I left England), but I never had an apple pie without sugar down South ( read: Oxford to the South Coast). Cooking apples were always used to make Apple Pie. Since cooking apples are very acid, sugar was obligatory.
Neither have I heard of using saffron, figs or pears.

Cloves? Ah, now you're talking!

My mum's (Kentish) apple pie had shortcrust pastry ( made with half butter, half vegetable shortening) on top and on the bottom. Stewed apples with sugar, a clove or two, that's it. Served with nothing else than Apple Pie. Generally speaking, the pie would last for about 3 minutes...

 

[Ishbel]

My apple pies also have sugar - nowadays I use brown sugar, and I don't use a lot, just enough to get a syrup for the apples. Cloves or cinnamon, sometimes as Jen said, sultanas.

 

[Chef_Jen]

Howdy Ho... thought I would Post my Apple Pie research.. funny enoughI did a culinary project on apple pie and learned about where it came from etc...

Check this article out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_pie

and read this!!
English apple pie recipes go back to the time of Chaucer. The 1381 recipe lists the ingredients as good apples, good spices, figs, raisins and pears. The cofyn of the recipe is a casing of pastry. Saffron is used for colouring the pie filling.
Cloves are a popular addition, tempering the sweetness in much the same way as cinnamon.
In England, apple pie is a dessert of enduring popularity, eaten hot or cold, on its own or with ice cream, double cream, or custard.

 

[expatgirl]

Ok-----holidays are around the corner----where are the recipes??? My pen and pad are waiting------maybe a few knock-offs from the old colonies wouldn't be so bad would it???

 

[karadekoolaid]

Howdy Ho... thought I would Post my Apple Pie research.. funny enoughI did a culinary project on apple pie and learned about where it came from etc...

Check this article out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_pie

and read this!!
English apple pie recipes go back to the time of Chaucer. The 1381 recipe lists the ingredients as good apples, good spices, figs, raisins and pears. The cofyn of the recipe is a casing of pastry. Saffron is used for colouring the pie filling.
Cloves are a popular addition, tempering the sweetness in much the same way as cinnamon.
In England, apple pie is a dessert of enduring popularity, eaten hot or cold, on its own or with ice cream, double cream, or custard.

Raisins from France ( re. French Royal Family in England!)

Figs from the Med or from middle East. Too bloody cold to grow decent figs over there in Albion.

Spices from everywhere, especially the "Arab Trade Route" ( Middle East and India - hence the saffron, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. Spices were frequently used to mask the disgusting smells of rotten fruit, meat, fish, and veg...

Apple pie with Custard....

NOW you're talking, Jen...

 

[lulu]

TV news here in UK is about the decline of the British apple orchard in the '90s and apple growers struggle to introduce new varieties and get supermarkets to stock home grown produce. I thought it was funny this came up while we were discussing brithish apple pie!

Because my family home is in the South west of England where many of our apple orchards are I am lucky enough to see orchards a lot. But There are fewer orchards now in Somerset than there were ten years ago, or so it seems to me. I also lived among apple orchards in south Herefordshire while I was a student...but I think they are more determined to hand on to them there. Good for them!

I like apple pis and apple puddings, but can you imagine being from a farming family in Southwest of England and not liking cider, LOL. I can't stand the stuff as a drink...I sometimes cook with it though. Perry on the other hand.....

Anyway. I am going to make apple pie this weekend. All this talking about it is too tempting!

 

[Snoop Puss]

Because my family home is in the South west of England where many of our apple orchards are I am lucky enough to see orchards a lot. But There are fewer orchards now in Somerset than there were ten years ago, or so it seems to me. I also lived among apple orchards in south Herefordshire while I was a student...but I think they are more determined to hand on to them there. Good for them!

I live in Spain and am trying to buy a place with some land so I can have a small orchard of assorted fruit trees, among them apples. I tell you, this country is blighted in terms of the variety of fruit in comparison with UK. You want apple trees here. Well gosh, you can have golden delicious, red starking and Granny Smith. "Y punto" as they say here. Full stop.

Have a look at these links in the UK:

http://www.brogdale.org/

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/

I am apple green with envy.

 

[Snoop Puss]

Because my family home is in the South west of England where many of our apple orchards are I am lucky enough to see orchards a lot. But There are fewer orchards now in Somerset than there were ten years ago, or so it seems to me. I also lived among apple orchards in south Herefordshire while I was a student...but I think they are more determined to hand on to them there. Good for them!

I live in Spain and am trying to buy a place with some land so I can have a small orchard of assorted fruit trees, among them apples. I tell you, this country is blighted in terms of the variety of fruit in comparison with the UK. You want apple trees here. Well gosh, you can have golden delicious, red starking and Granny Smith. "Y punto" as they say here. Full stop.

Have a look at these links in the UK:

http://www.brogdale.org/

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/

I am apple green with envy.